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17,000 government workers made more than $200,000 in 2014

Government workers are drastically overpaid in the eyes of many in the United States, but do they really know exactly how much some federal employees are earning? If they did, would this perception become better or worse?

Perhaps if the actual figures of top government officials were known by those exact people, the outlook of federal workers would be tainted even more than it already is at this point.

Well, now there’s an updated, decent sample size across the board and the actual amounts won’t install any change of heart to those who view those very employees as pocketing far too much money.

Last year, thousands of government workers pulled in an astronomical six-figures, many of whom worked for agencies that were caught up in scandals and don’t exactly hold the trust of the American people.

Using a partial database of federal salary data, National Journal found there were at least 17,000 federal employees who earned more than $200,000 in 2014. Additionally, 1,600 federal employees took home over $300,000 in base salary. Two workers, Veterans Affairs doctors in Pittsburgh, Pa. and Palo Alto, Calif., pulled in more than $400,000.

Most of the high earners worked as medical officers at the Veterans Affairs Department. Other agencies that require a highly specialized workforce paid several employees at least $200,000; these included the National Institutes of Health, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Food and Drug Administration, the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency, the Federal Housing Finance Agency, and the Securities and Exchange Commission, writes the National Journal.

One catch is that the data did not include bonus pay. This alone is enough to increase the figures of the most highly-paid at the scandal-plagued VA. Despite the phony wait lists for veteran care combined with the tragic deaths, millions of dollars were given out to officials who oversaw many of the hospitals.

To put this figure into greater perspective, the median household income in America stood at $51,017 in 2012, which was a slight reduction from $51,100 in 2011. That’s a significant gap between those 17,000 federal employees pumping 200 grand into their bank accounts and the median household income in the United States.